Darkness Is Not A Friend

• Sarah Gallagher, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2011

Darkness, that was all. Some people can argue the fact that darkness is your friend but apparently this is not the case. I tried moving my arms around feeling for any close objects but remembered my arms were restrained by a thickly bound rope. The rope was coiled around my ankles up to my shoulders proving an impossible escape.
It was late afternoon when I heard the car, a white van, a stereotypical van that you never take your chances with. I had my headphones on my ears and I was drumming away to the beat of the music. My feet were carrying me home, along the windy pathways through the park. The van at the time was directly in front of the car waiting next to the red post box. I wasn’t really paying attention and I just walked directly pass the van humming the lyrics. That was when somebody knocked me out from behind. I had squealed in pain. My screams would never have been heard but would have echoed through the empty woods. Before I could kick or squirm they had injected something in my arm and from then onwards I cannot remember anything else.
I’m guessing I am not in the van anymore seeing as I can hear footsteps pacing in the room next door. There is a quiet drumming sound coming from underneath me but I cant quite piece out as to what it was seeing as my eyelids feel as if they are glued shut. As the hours passed on I wonder how long I would be left in this dark room with no sense of time. The room was getting colder by the minute so I guessed it was almost night time.
My eyes flickered open surveying the room around me which consisted of white room with many identical beds each against the wall. There were many chords running from the beds to the patients lying on them. Most of the patients were skinny and had brown hair and green eyes, almost identical copies of each other. The girls were all staring at me blankly not speaking, just staring. I tried to sit up but again something was tied around my waste and arms. This time it was three thick brown belts impossible to undo without any help. I stared around in horror realising that I soon would become one of them blank girls staring back at myself. I swivelled around reaching for the phone behind me trying my hardest to call out. My parched throat concealed my screams
My parents had been speaking about this place for many days. A place for sick people, people mentally disposed. This could not be happening. Everything was wrong! I had to get out fast and quick. My eyes searched around the room looking for any type of door, window! A man came fast, running towards me with metal object.
I sat up sweating with my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness of th room. I turned over and foccused on my alarm clock. It read 2 am.
I bretahed a sigh of relief and rolled over forgetting the most terrfiying dream